Josie Silver is an unabashed romantic who met her husband when she stepped on his foot on his twenty-first birthday. She lives with him, their two sons, and their cats in England. She is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, and One Night on the Island. You can find more of my reviews of her work here.
When Iris decides to move to New York City to restart her life, she realizes she underestimated how big the Big Apple really is: All the nostalgic movies she'd watched with her mom while eating their special secret-recipe gelato didn't quite do it justice. But Bobby, Iris's best friend, isn't about to let her hide away. He drags her to a famous autumn street fair in Little Italy, and as they walk among the food stalls, a little family-run gelateria catches her eye—could it be the same shop that's in an old photo of her mother's? Curious, Iris returns the next day and meets the handsome Gio, who tells her that the shop is in danger of closing. His uncle, sole keeper of their family's gelato recipe, is recuperating from a stroke and can no longer remember it, so they can't make more. When Iris samples the last remaining batch, she realizes that their gelato and her gelato are one and the same. But how can she tell them she knows their secret recipe when she's not sure why Gio's uncle might have given it to her mother in the first place? Iris offers her services to help re-create the gelato and soon finds herself falling for Gio and his family. But when Gio's uncle finally recovers, all the secrets Iris has been keeping threaten to ruin the new life—and new love—she's been building all winter long.
After I finished A Winter in New York, I so desperately wanted to turn on one of my favorite romcoms. I felt that Josie Silver perfectly captured the spirit of so many romcoms, while also writing something that felt so fresh and new. I was absolutely obsessed with every part of this book from start to finish. I loved how complicated Iris and Gio's relationship was from the start, because of an impulsive lie and a long-held secret. I loved how Iris moved so far away to escape what must have felt terribly inescapable, only to find herself facing new overwhelming challenges. I loved each member of the Belotti family, and how they each help (or hinder!) Iris's ability to understand her place, in the city and with their family. Honestly, to me, there wasn't a single thing not to love in this book.
I love how big family is in this novel. Iris's relationship with her mother is so beautifully written. Viv died three years before the start of Iris's story, but feels very present in Iris's narrative. That is partially because we get some flashback chapters from Viv's point of view, back when she knew the Belotti's for a spell. That, plus the ways Iris keeps her mom alive in her day to day life, make Viv, and thus Iris's grief for her mother and for a family she never had, top of mind. I love how this novel is a love story to all types of family—the one we're born into, the one we marry into, and the one we choose. Every character and relationship feels meaningful in that it builds up this narrative about the importance of all types of families.
I honestly was shocked reading that Josie Silver had not visited New York City before writing this book—she just wrote it so well! One of the first things I ever did by myself after moving here was go to The Feast of San Gennaro, and maybe that's why this book really resonated with me: I just felt like Silver somehow understood how overwhelming and lonely it can be moving to a big city, but also how gratifying it is to find a secret corner of the world the way Iris did. I loved how Iris eventually found her way, forming relationships not only with the Belotti's, but also with the busker who sang River and her landlord/brothers-she-never-had Robin and Bobby. I think it all captured the spirit of New York so well.
If anything, I wanted a bit more from the ending. How did Bella react to Iris's disappearance, and then subsequent reappearance? How did Gio even know where to find Iris in the first place? That scene almost made me cry, but I had some questions! But honestly, those questions never once took away my belief in this story, and I just love it all the more knowing that I wanted to see more scenes.
I can't wait to see what Josie Silver has next, and in the meantime I hope to check out One Night on the Island. Until then!
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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